MANCHESTER – The Crimson Tide should have been nervous, and there was some of that as the Concord girls’ tennis team began doubles play in Wednesday’s quarterfinal against Derryfield with the score all tied up. But the Tide had something in its back pocket to ease the nerves.
“We feel really confident in our doubles. We’ve done so much work on them and we’ve really improved on them, so we kind of use that as our secret weapon,” Concord’s Olivia Cattabriga said. “It was nerve wracking, but we were confident.”
The Tide’s secret weapon proved lethal as No. 5 Concord won at first and third doubles (and only lost in a tiebreaker at second doubles) to beat No. 4 Derryfield, 5-4.
“We were feeling good after singles because we practice enough doubles and we have enough tactics to use in doubles,” Tide Coach Greg Coache said.
Concord (12-3) will now face No. 1 Exeter (15-0) in the semifinals on Friday. The Tide beat Exeter in last year’s semifinals, 7-2, but after Concord lost three of the top six from that 2015 team, a return trip to the semifinals was never a sure thing.
“I think we did a lot better than people expected us to, so I’m pretty pumped,” Concord junior Alexandra Killinger said. “We thought we could do it, especially with our new exchange student, Irene (Escobar). Once we saw that we had her, we were pretty confident we could get this far.”
Escobar, who is from Spain, and Cattabriga were the first to show off Concord’s doubles skills with a quick 8-2 win over Emma Polgrean and Ada Hu at third doubles. The clinching game saw Cattabriga controlling the net and Escobar running things down on the baseline (and blasting a beautiful inside-out backhand into the far alley for a clean winner on match point), which is exactly how the duo has found success all season.
“Irene never played doubles before, but we just immediately clicked and we’ve been working on it a lot,” Cattabriga said. “We’ve been working on having her back and me at the net, so it’s clicked for us, we work well together. We’ve gotten used to each other and we can nail our doubles just like that.”
The match-clinching win came at first doubles, where Killinger and Becky Cistulli beat Olivia Husak and Abi Leonardi, 8-5. The pair from Derryfield (11-4) jumped to a quick 2-1 lead before the Tide reeled off four straight games. The Cougars answered with two games to make it 5-4 before Cistulli and Killinger won three of the last four for the deciding victory.
“I thought the one doubles started a little slow and then all of a sudden you could see them using the movement that we ask them to use,” Coache said, “and it was fantastic”.
It was a nice bounce back for Killinger, who lost a grueling singles match to Leonardi, 9-8 (7-5).
“I thought we owned the net in doubles like we usually do, and that’s how we won,” said Killinger, who added, “I’d always rather play doubles than singles.”
It’s easy to see why with a partner like Cistulli. The Concord junior has made major strides since last year, when she played at No. 3. The improvements were on full display in her 8-6 singles win over Husak, a talented player in her own right. Cistulli’s serve was on and earning her free points throughout the match, and when she found herself down, 4-3, she turned to her mental game, which has always been advanced.
“I was thinking about the score more than I was thinking about the point I was playing, like, ‘Oh, I just need to get two more games and then I’ll have a lead,’ stuff like that,” Cistulli said. “When I do that I play awful, it’s been a thing this season, so I just started to play the point out and stay patient and it worked.”
Cattabriga gave Concord its first singles point, beating Mary Quinn, 8-4, at No. 4. Cattabriga actually lost the first three games before settling down and steamrolling to the win.
“I wasn’t really in it at first,” Cattabriga said. “But after I got down three I just knew, okay, I can do this, and I talked to coach and that really helped. I just knew I had to be patient, and then I came back.”
Concord’s third singles point came at No. 3 as senior Colleen Casey played with her usual tenacity and endurance to beat Miranda Schilling, 8-6. Schilling is a tall, athletic player with powerful ground strokes, a big serve and an intimidating net game. But Casey handled all of that pressure to pull out what may have been the swing match for the Tide.
“Colleen’s win was huge, just huge,” Coache said. “Miranda has so much power and she is going to just keep getting better, but Colleen rode the storm today.”
Derryfield’s points came from Polgrean at No. 5 singles (8-3 win against Sabrina Hart-Meyer), Nancy Fortin at No. 6 (8-5 win against Escobar), Leonardi at No. 2 and the second doubles team of Schilling and Quinn, which claimed a 9-8 (7-4) win over Casey and Hart-Meyer.
When Concord meets Exeter on Friday, not only will it be a rematch of last year’s semifinals, it will also be a rematch of the season opener. Exeter won that one, 6-3, but the Tide likes its chances this time around.
“I remember at the beginning of the year we played them in that first match and I thought, ‘Oh, I’d like to play them again,’ ” Coache said. “So I’m going to take that thought and say that I know we can go down there and upset them. They’re very good, I’m not underplaying that at all, but we’re a very confident team right now.”
(Tim O’Sullivan can be reached at 369-3341 or at tosullivan@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @timosullivan20).
From coaches’ reports
No. 1 Bow 7, No. 8 Pelham 2
Key players: Laura Zbhelik (8-4 win at No. 1 singles), Claire Mulvaney (8-4 win at No. 4), Sarah Zecha (8-4 win at No. 5), Julia Currier (8-4 win at No. 6)
Highlights/key moments: The Falcons continued their undefeated season and will advance to the semifinals for a remarkable sixth straight year. After taking a 4-2 lead in singles, Bow swept the doubles courts clean. Zbhelik and Mulvaney teamed for 8-4 win at No.1 doubles, Currier and Casey Day got together for an 8-6 win at No. 2 doubles, Zecha and Nandita Kasireddy completed the sweep with an 8-2 win at No. 3 doubles. Bow will host Profile (13-2) in Friday’s semifinal. The Falcons beat Profile, 8-1, on May 18, but that doesn’t mean they will be over confident going into the next round.
Coach’s quote: “It was a great win today but we have a few things to work on before Friday.” — Bow’s Jonsey Rainville
Records: Bow 15-0; Pelham 8-7
No. 4 Souhegan 7, No. 5 Coe-Brown 2
Key players: Coe-Brown — Tyler Holman (8-3 win in singles), Nate Griffiths (8-2 win in doubles with Holman)
Highlights/key moments: The Bears had a good season, but ran into a fundamentally sound Souhegan team in the first round of the tournament on Tuesday.
Coach’s quote: “It was a good season for us. We are losing some great seniors, but returning some great underclassmen.” — Coe-Brown’s Sam Struthers
Records: Coe-Brown 11-4; Souhegan 12-3
Manchester Central 1, Concord 0
Key players: Concord — Noah Wachter (6 innings, 4 hits, 6 K, 1 earned run), Christian McClellan (hit)
Highlights/key moments: Wachter pitched a great game for the Tide, but the offense was kept silent as McClellan collected the Tide’s lone hit.
Coach’s quote: “(Wachter) pitched great for us, but we couldn’t get much going offensively.” — Concord’s Scott Owen
Records: Man. Central 8-9; Concord 5-12
John Stark 8, Plymouth 6
Key players: John Stark — Noah Greene (grand slam, 2 runs), Jeremy Aubin (2-for-3, home run, win on the mound), Egan Nickerson (save), Aaron Robertson (2 runs)
Highlights/key moments: Back-to-back homers by Greene and Aubin in the first inning had the Generals off to a fast start as they led 5-0 after one. They added two more in the third to go up 7-0 before eventually holding off a late Plymouth push.
Coach’s quote: “We came out strong today and got a huge win for our program. We are now guaranteed to be at least the five-seed in the upcoming Division-II tournament. We got very sloppy in the second half of the game and we were forced to use (Nickerson) for the last five outs.” — John Stark’s Dennis Pelletier
Records: John Stark 12-3; Plymouth 4-11
St. Thomas 10, MV 2
Key players: MV – Robbie Rattee (2 IP, 0 runs), Taylor Hughes (hit, RBI), Brian Nylen (hit, 2 walks).
Coach’s quote: “We now have to sit back and see how the rest of D-II shakes out. Hopefully we are fortunate to grab one of the final playoff spots.” – MV’s Sean Wheeler
Records: St. Thomas 10-6; MV 4-12
Belmont 10, Laconia 2
Key players: Belmont – Josh Guptill (CG, 6 hits, 2 BB, 6 K, ER), Cole Contigiani (2-for-4, double, 2 RBI), Corey Derosier (2-for-4, double, two runs, stolen base), Doug Price (2-for-4, 2 RBI), Jonny LeClair (2-for-4, 3 runs, 2 stolen bases)
Highlights/key moments: A big five-run second inning broke the game open for the Red Raiders.
Coach’s quote: “A good way for us to finish the season against a good opponent.” – Belmont’s Matt LeBlanc
Records: Belmont 13-3; Laconia 12-4
Hopkinton 9, Mascoma 0
Key players: Hopkinton — Dave Nelson (6 innings, 7 K, 3 hits; double, 3 RBI), Kyle Slevira (2-for-3, double, triple, RBI), Alex Lajeunesse (double, 2 RBI), Josh Angell (RBI), Ben McManus (RBI)
Highlights/key moments: Four first-inning runs helped propel the Hawks to a lead they would never relinquish. All nine seniors played on senior night. The Hawks travel to take on first-place Campbell (14-1) in the regular-season finale on Friday afternoon.
Coach’s quote: “Scoring four in the first really helped take the pressure off. It was nice to set the tone like that.” — Hopkinton’s Dave Chase
Records: Hopkinton 8-8; Mascoma 4-11
Bishop Brady 15, Winnisquam 5
Key players: Bishop Brady — Garrett Andrus (5 innings, win, 2 earned runs), Tom Blandini (double, triple, 2 RBI), Martin Hecka (2 hits, 3 RBI) Winnisquam — Christian Serrano (2 hits, RBI), Mikey Lowery (2 hits, 2 runs)
Highlights/key moments: After trailing 4-0 after one, Brady’s bats exploded for 12 runs in the fourth to take control. That fourth inning was a nightmare for the Bears as they made eight errors leading to 12 unearned runs.
Coach’s quote: “(Andrus) stepped up big for us today on the mound while the bottom of the order really got us going, scratching out tough at-bats and getting us that jump start we needed.” — Bishop Brady’s Skip Foye
“When you make eight errors in one inning, you’re probably not going to win.” — Winnisquam’s Fred Caruso
Records: Winnisquam 7-7; Bishop Brady 10-6
Man. Central 8, Concord 5
Key players: Concord — Jill Dusseault (2 hits), Haley Munroe (2 hits), Izzy Dunn (2 hits, including HR), Caitlyn Shea (2 hits), Sam Clapp (2 hits)
Highlights/key moments: After battling hard for the first three innings, Central broke the game open with four runs in the fourth to build a stable lead that would help carry them to victory.
Coach’s quote: “We battled hard on senior night but our mistakes continue to cost us.” — Concord’s Duke Sawyer
Records: Concord 7-10; Central 8-9
St. Thomas 2, MV 1
Key players: MV — Sam Hodkinson (7 innings, 10 K, 1 earned run), Alani Ramas (RBI)
Highlights/key moments: Both pitchers carried no-hitters into the seventh as MV trailed, 1-0. Ramas’s sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh tied the game up, but St. Thomas pulled through with a walk-off single in the bottom half of the inning.
Records: St. Thomas 5-10; MV 8-8
John Stark 12, Man. West 0
Key players: John Stark — Taylor McDonald (3-for-3, 2 RBIs), Jillian Palmacci (2-for-3, 2 RBIs), Delani Dowst (5 innings, 9 strikeouts)
Highlights/key moments: A six-run second inning was huge for the Generals as they cruised in the regular-season finale.
Coach’s quote: “It’s always good to finish out the season with a win, but now we need to get ready for playoffs.” — John Stark’s Gerry Morin
Records: John Stark 7-9; Man. West 2-13
Belmont 8, Laconia 3
Key players: Belmont – Megan Prescott (CG, 10 K, 3 runs, 6 hits), Nicole Antonucci (3-for-4, 3 RBI, run) Shannon Davies (2-for-4), Jordan Lavallee (2-for-4, 2 RBI)
Highlights/key moments: Belmont scored five, two-out runs in the third and fourth innings.
Coach’s quote: “Our hitters adjusted after the first time through the order which was nice to see happen.” – Belmont’s Bill Clary
Records: Belmont 12-4; Laconia 4-12
Hopkinton 11, Mascoma 4
Key players: Hopkinton – Felicia Gordon (3-for-4, run, RBI) Lily Scammon (2-for-3, 2 runs, double) Alexis Ferns (2-for-4, run, RBI) Alexis Blanchette (5 IP, run, 3 hits, 7 K), Kasey Smith (3 runs), Caroline Flood (2 runs), Sam Brewer (RBI), and Emmaleigh Sabol (all-around play)
Highlights/key moments: Senior Day was a success for the Hawks who led 10-1 after five innings.
Coach’s quote: “Always nice to win on Senior Day. These seniors have meant a lot to our team success over the last few years.” – Hopkinton’s Dan Meserve
Records: Hopkinton 9-6; Mascoma 0-15
Winnisquam 9, Bishop Brady 7,
10 inn.
Key players: Winnisquam – Lindsay Raymond (4-for-4, 4 runs, 2 RBI), Lauren Bolstridge (2-for-5), Ema Atherton (2-for-5, RBI), Marissa DeBlasie (win, 7 relief IP, 6 H, 1 BB, 1 K, 2 ER)
Highlights/key moments: In a back-and-forth game, Winnisquam came out on top, scoring two runs in the top of the 10th inning.
Coach’s quote: “Very exciting game to be a part of against a very good team.” – Winnisquam’s Kevin Dame
Records: Winnisquam 8-6; Bishop Brady 10-6
Campbell 14, H-D 0
Key players: H-D — Gina Costello (great defense in center field), Emma Moore (great defense at third)
Records: H-D 1-14; Campbell 12-3
Concord 15, Man. Central 9
Key players: Concord — Steph Resnick (5 goals), Tori Pelletier (4 goals), Becca Proulx (3 goals), Olivia Painchaud (goal), Jess Nelson (goal), Christina Soule (goal)
Highlights/key moments: On senior night, Resnick and Pelletier (both seniors) stepped up huge for the Tide.
Coach’s quote: “We had some of our best plays of the season in this game. It was a season with many challenges but we took them on and became a better team through it all.” — Concord’s Steph Johnson
Records: Concord 6-10; Man. Central 2-14
John Stark 12, Keene 5
Key players: John Stark — Lizzie Brandt (4 goals, 3 assists), Cady Loos (2 goals, assist), Katie Waligura (2 goals, assist), Sam Porter (16 saves)
Highlights/key moments: On senior night, the Generals cruised to an 8-2 halftime lead and carried the momentum into the second half.
Coach’s quote: “It was a solid win for us on a hot day with everyone getting some minutes.” — John Stark’s John Warner
Records: John Stark 9-4; Keene 5-9
Bow 17, Gilford 10
Key players: Bow – Taylor Darrell (5 goals, 2 assists), Amanda Murray (6 goals) Oliva Krause (2 goals, 2 assists), Maggie Vogt (goal, 5 assists), Pinky Fleury (13 saves)
Highlights/key moments: Darrell scored the 200th goal of her career in the game.
Records: Bow 10-3; Gilford 6-8